The Chimera's Spirit
by Stony Knight
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Having been home schooled until now, Sasuke is forced to attend a public school for his senior year. When he's forced to face a hidden fear, he finds comfort with the infamous school bully.
1. Who's Crazy?

**The Chimera's Spirit:**

**Chapter 1: Who's Crazy?**

**Full Summary:** After being home schooled his entire life, Sasuke is forced to attend a public school for his senior year. Will he be able to discover the truth behind the behavior of the school's most infamous bully, Gaara? Or will unrealized fears from his home life drive him to the breaking point?

**Warnings:** shounen-ai (boy love) in later chapters, serious OOCness from some (alright, many) characters, this story is AU (obviously) - so complaints about that will be ignored. Other stuff will pop up later in the story probably.

**A/N:** So I never thought I would write a Naruto high school fic, but here it is… the beginning of it at least. I'm not sure how often updates will be (it depends on how busy I get with my classes), but that's why I'm going to work to make these chapters longer than the ones in my other story. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I am just writing this for fun and to sharpen my skills. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"What's the matter, Sasuke? Nervous about your first day?" Itachi asked as his little brother slumped at the kitchen table.

"I just don't see why you can't teach me like mom did," came the familiar complaint.

"I've told you this a hundred times already, Sasuke. I don't have time to get certified to home school you like mom and dad did. There's just too much work to be done around here now that they're gone," Itachi sighed. "Besides, you're a senior so it's only going to be for one year. High school can't be that bad."

"And how would you know? You were home schooled too!" Sasuke replied.

"You know what I think?" Itachi asked after a frustrated pause. "I think you're just afraid of having to face so many new people. You don't want to have to be social."

"A lot of good it will do me," Sasuke mumbled. Itachi shook his head, placing a plate of bacon and eggs in front of his little brother.

"Just eat your breakfast and finish getting ready before you're late," the older Uchiha sighed. "I have to go do the morning rounds before the cats get tired of waiting and make a ruckus at their gates."

With that said, Itachi opened the back door of their house and stepped out of the kitchen. Sasuke stared at the battered wood of the door for several long moments after his brother had closed it. Finally he began eating his breakfast.

It had been nearly three months since their parents had passed away in a fire. Their family lived on a four hundred acre ranch that was home to an exotic animal rescue foundation. At the beginning of the summer, the main barn/veterinary clinic where they kept quite a bit of equipment and housed their riding horses had caught fire. Both their mother and father had died trying to save the animals from the burning structure.

With their parents suddenly gone, Itachi had been forced to take their place as head grounds manager of the ranch. While the foundation wasn't strapped for cash like so many similar organizations, thanks mainly to its numerous trained animals that worked on movie sets or photo shoots, the older Uchiha brother was still having a difficult time replacing much of the veterinary equipment lost in the fire. Luckily, however, they hadn't needed to lay off any of the staff which could have resulted in needing to find new homes for some of the animals.

Sasuke sighed as he remembered the horrible fire and all of the confusion that had occurred that day. Many of the staff had tried to offer him comfort after the incident, but Itachi had been the only one he had turned to for such things. Sasuke finished his breakfast and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher before grabbing his backpack and slipping out the back door.

"Hey, Sasuke, heading out for your first day of school?" called Kisame, Itachi's best friend and one of the ranch's bear handler. The enormous man had just gotten out of his truck next to where Sasuke's SUV was parked.

"Hi, Kisame," Sasuke replied glumly. "Yeah, I'm heading to school, although I'd rather stay here."

"I know you would, kid, but you can't spend your entire life in the animal pens," Kisame smiled gently at him. "And it's just for a year. Actually it won't even be a full year. You'll get through it, and then you can return to you typical, reclusive self."

"Yeah, whatever," Sasuke sighed, climbing into the driver's seat of his SUV and starting the engine. "I'll see you later, Kisame."

"You know where you'll find me," the blue-tinted man waved to the teen as he drove off.

* * *

Sasuke flopped down in a seat near the back of his homeroom, no one else having entered it yet. He glanced over his schedule that the school's secretary had given to him. It consisted mainly of honors and AP courses, although he was willing to bet he was still going to be bored with the majority of the classes. From the descriptions the secretary had given him, none of them sounded particularly difficult.

Leaning back in his chair, Sasuke turned enough to be able to comfortably stare out the window. He really wanted to be home with Itachi right now. His brother had been teaching him how to care for the ranch's big cats to help keep both their minds off their parents' deaths. When he couldn't be found at the tiger or lion compounds, Sasuke often spent his time taking one of the hawks out to hunt from horseback with Deidara, one of the staff's two falconers.

Ever since he had been little, the younger Uchiha brother had been reclusive, spending more time by himself or with some of the less dangerous animals at the ranch rather than sticking close to the people there. He had never even really clung to his parents at any point in his life. But he still missed them now that they were gone.

The Uchiha's musings were interrupted by one of his new classmates entering the room followed by someone who must be the teacher.

"You better stay focused this year, Shikamaru," the teacher was saying. "If you don't, I'm going to make you tutor some of your classmates. That ought to force you to do at least some of your work."

"Sometimes I think you just like to torture me, Asuma-sensei," the teenager replied as he flopped down into the closest seat. "Tutoring is such a drag."

"Well then don't get so lazy this year as to let your grades slip, and I won't make you do it," Asuma gave a cocky smile. The teacher then looked in Sasuke's direction, and his smile became more sincere. "Well here's a new face. You must be the new student this year, correct?"

"Yes, sir," Sasuke replied. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Good, and you can call me Asuma-sensei," the teacher nodded. "I'm one of the math teachers here. And this lazybones is Nara Shikamaru, who will probably be in most of your classes when he doesn't decide to sneak up to the roof to watch the clouds."

"You know about that?" Shikamaru asked, annoyed.

"Don't worry," Asuma grinned at the teen again. "I'm the only teacher who knows so far, and your secret is safe with me. So don't let your grades slip, and I won't say anything."

"Man, now you're threatening my cloud-watching time as well as trying to get me to tutor other students?" Shikamaru raised a hand to rub at his eyes. "Asuma-sensei, you're not going to be any fun this year, are you?"

"Just trying to look out for one of my best students," the teacher replied.

At that point, other students began filtering into the classroom from the hallway. Sasuke turned back to the window, determined to ignore the ruckus around him as the students chatted excitedly about their summers and the upcoming school year. The bell rang and Asuma brought the class to order, taking roll. Fifteen minutes later, they were dismissed to the first period classes.

Sasuke glanced at his schedule to find the room number of his English course before wandering out into the hallway. He hissed in annoyance at how crowded it seemed, quickly navigating his way between the numerous bodies. He found the classroom easily enough and made his way over to a window seat, settling himself again and hoping to be ignored for the most part. However, he wasn't that lucky.

"Sasuke?" he heard a vaguely familiar voice call his name. The younger Uchiha brother glanced up to see a scruffy-looking teen sitting in the next row of desks one seat up from of him.

"Hey, Kiba," he greeted softly. The boy visited the Uchihas' ranch fairly regularly seeing as his older sister was one of the wolf keepers. The two had never really been much more than acquaintances, but Sasuke figured one familiar face amongst all the strangers was better than nothing.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here even though Sis had said something about you going to public school this year," Kiba commented. "Guess it never clicked until now that you would most likely be coming to this one. Mind if I look over your schedule, see what other classes we have together?"

Sasuke handed over the sheet of paper before leaning back in his chair again. He watched as Kiba quickly scanned over the list of classes.

"Looks like we have Art 04, AP bio, and PE together, and we're in the same lunch period," Kiba commented. "Man, you have a ton of advanced classes. If I didn't already know how smart you are, I'd feel sorry for you!"

Sasuke snorted, "It's not like I want to be here though."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kiba handed the paper back to its owner. "Mr. Anti-social wants to go home to his 'pets.' What have you been up to at the ranch lately, anyway?"

"Itachi's been teaching me how to handle the cats," the Uchiha sighed, not really wanting to get into a conversation right now.

"I think I'm jealous," Kiba stared. "Sis still won't let me help out with any of the wolves once they no longer need to be bottle-fed and move out of the house."

"Hey, Kiba!" shouted another student, interrupting their conversation. Sasuke was silently thankful.

"Hi, Naruto!" Kiba turned to greet the blonde-haired, blue-eyed student who had called his name. Sasuke tried not to cringe as the other teen came over to them. He was too loud, both visually and audibly. The Uchiha hadn't even known there was a company daring (or stupid) enough to produce orange jeans.

"So who's your new friend?" the blonde teenager asked.

"Naruto, this is Uchiha Sasuke. My sister works at the ranch where he lives," Kiba introduced them. "Sasuke, this is one of my best friends, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke," Naruto held out his hand. The Uchiha struggled not to glare at the boy as he shook the offered appendage in greeting.

Naruto plopped himself down at the desk in front of Sasuke's, beside Kiba. He opened his mouth to start up a new conversation, but the late bell rang and the teacher brought the class to order. After introducing himself as Kakashi-sensei and taking roll, the silver-haired teacher passed out a syllabus.

"Now I'm not going to bother to go through the syllabus in class. This is Honors English, and I expect that all of you are quite capable of reading it on your own. There is a sheet at the end of the packet that you will need to complete and turn in by Friday regarding your understanding of the syllabus," Kakashi-sensei stated. "So today we are going to start the class by going over the requirements for your first assignment."

* * *

"Dude, Sasuke, I feel so bad for you getting paired up with Gaara for that English assignment," Naruto commented as he and Kiba sat down with the Uchiha at lunch.

The three were also joined by two other students that Kiba had introduced earlier as Rock Lee and Aburame Shino. Sasuke found that Lee was just as loud and annoying as Naruto, although his apparently favorite shade of green wasn't quite as offensive to the Uchiha's eyes. The choice of clothing style, however, did need some help.

Shino, on the other hand, was someone Sasuke thought he could get along with quite easily. The other teen was quiet and contemplative, and he seemed to be somewhat interested in similar things. However, Sasuke wasn't sure if the boy would appreciate the basis of his own particular appreciation for insects. Herptiles and birds have to eat too.

"That guy is a total psycho. He scares everybody," Naruto was continuing his little rant about the infamous Gaara that apparently hadn't stopped since the five sat down.

Kiba gave a soft laugh, "I wouldn't worry about Sasuke too much, Naruto. In fact it might be better to worry about Gaara."

"But Sasuke doesn't know Gaara," Lee added. "And you know how the redhead likes to intimidate new people when he gets the chance. He might decide to attack Sasuke without him even doing anything to upset that crazy psycho."

"Surely he can't be that bad," Sasuke cut in. "He seems agreeable enough to me, and we've already decided to get started on the project at my place this afternoon."

"You're going to show him where you live?" Naruto gasped. "You must be insane!"

Kiba busted out laughing at the frightened looks on both Naruto's and Lee's faces.

"Guys, you need to stop worrying," Kiba gasped after a moment. "Sasuke's probably safer with Gaara at his place than he is here at school. He can just lock the bastard in one of the animal cages if he gets out of hand."

"Wait… animal cages?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Where exactly do you live again?"

"His family owns that exotic animal ranch where my sister works," Kiba replied. "I thought I told you that this morning!"

At that moment Sasuke's cell phone began vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

"Hey, Oreo, what do you need?" Sasuke answered the call. The four other teenagers fell silent as they listened to Sasuke's side of the conversation.

"Wait, they're refusing to deliver them again why?"…

"You're kidding me!"…

"Sure, Oreo, I can pick them up after school, but I wish their mail carriers would grow some balls. It's only a box of lab rats after all. It's not like they could cause them any serious damage."…

"Okay, Oreo, I'll see you later. Bye."

Sasuke ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Oreo? Did you guys get a new staff member sis forgot to tell me about or something?" Kiba asked.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke replied. "I've called him Oreo since I was little. I thought you knew that."

"How the hell did you end up associating that creepy snake-handler with a cookie?" the look on Kiba's face actually caused Sasuke to give a short laugh.

"He's not that creepy, Kiba," Sasuke shook his head at the other. "He's actually pretty cool once you get to know him. And he would always bring cookies when he watched Itachi and me when we were little."

"Well I guess he wouldn't seem so creepy to someone who grew up with him around, but I still say he's creepy," Kiba sighed.

"What are the rats for, by the way?" Naruto asked after a moment.

"Snake food," Sasuke said simply before finishing off his meal. Naruto blanched somewhat as did Lee. Kiba and Shino just shrugged off the comment, not bothered by the idea of a snake eating a live rat.

* * *

"I have to pick something up at the post office before we head to my place," Sasuke said as he and Gaara climbed into the Uchiha's SUV. "I hope you don't mind."

Gaara simply shrugged, putting his pack at his feet and buckling his seatbelt. Sasuke started the engine and pulled out of the school's parking lot, heading towards the post office. When they arrived, Gaara waited in the vehicle while the Uchiha slipped inside to grab the newly-arrived package. The redhead gave him a slightly quizzical look when he heard squeaking and rustling coming from the plastic and wire box, but Sasuke said nothing, hiding a smirk as he drove off towards the ranch.

Gaara again gave Sasuke a strange look when the Uchiha pulled into a gated-off lane with a metal 'No Trespassing' sign bolted to the middle of the swinging bar. The ranch did have a portion that was open to visitors where the staff could do programs about the facility, its animals, and wildlife conservation, but that was on the other side of the property from the gate that the family and staff used. After dealing with the gate, Sasuke continued down the winding lane until they finally arrived at the Uchiha house which was out of sight from any roadways.

As Sasuke and Gaara climbed out of the SUV, the Uchiha noted his brother walking towards them, carrying a tiger cub.

"Hey Sasuke, how was your first day?" Itachi greeted, glancing between his younger brother and the redheaded stranger with him.

"It was alright, I guess," Sasuke shrugged. "I have four classes with Hana's brother, Kiba. And Gaara's here because we have a joint English assignment due at the end of the week. What are you doing with Bipin?"

"Bastet decided this morning that she doesn't want to have anything to do with him anymore, so I'm moving him into the house," Itachi replied, handing the cub over to his brother. "And he's going to be your responsibility when you're not busy with school work."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, not so sure about the idea.

"He'll be difficult, having been raised by his mother for the first few months of his life," Itachi admitted, "but if you can handle him, you'll be able to handle nearly any tiger cub out there. He's been crying all morning and part of the afternoon, so he's pretty tired right now. He'll become active again in a few hours."

Sasuke nodded, cradling the weary cub close to his chest with strong arms.

Bastet was one of the ranch's newest tigers, having been seized the previous spring from a man who had been keeping her illegally and in poor living conditions. Everyone had been surprised when she had given birth to two cubs, one a stillborn. She had become very protective of the surviving cub whom Itachi had named Bipin. That she had now decided to reject her three-month-old baby was fairly odd, so Itachi would be keeping a close eye on both animals.

"Oh, Aniki, there's a box of rats in the back of my SUV for Oreo," Sasuke said before his brother began to head for the house. "Could you bring it in for me since my hands are a little full?"

Itachi retrieved the box without replying and followed Sasuke and Gaara into the house, the redhead now giving both brothers odd looks. Itachi deposited the rats on a side table in the kitchen specifically there for preparing food for the animals that were staying in the house. Sasuke led Gaara to his room where they could work in relative peace - at least until Bipin became energetic again.

Sasuke was beginning to think Naruto and Lee had been trying to play a practical joke on him. Gaara wasn't the least bit domineering or aggressive with him while they discussed their English assignment. If anything, the redhead was passive, withdrawn even. After two hours of discussion and note taking, the two decided to quit until the next afternoon.

"If you want to stay for dinner, I'm sure my brother and Oreo won't mind," Sasuke invited as they began packing away their notes.

"I need to get home," Gaara replied softly, almost reluctantly.

Just as he went to stand up from his seat at Sasuke's desk, the redhead felt a heavy swat from a relatively small paw hit the side of his ankle, causing him to jump in surprise. Sasuke laughed lightly as he grabbed Bipin off the floor whom Gaara had obviously forgotten about. The young tiger cub snarled and tried to bite at the Uchiha's hands, but Sasuke's hold was perfectly positioned so the sharp teeth couldn't get to him.

"Now quit that," Sasuke said in a soothing voice as the cub's cries became louder. "You're alright. You're safe. I'm not going to hurt you."

Bipin was obviously scared, not being very use to human contact. Sasuke held the cub up in front of him, making chuffing noises to him. Gaara gave the Uchiha the strangest look yet, but noted that his odd antics did seem to have a calming effect on the young tiger. It took a while, but eventually the cub stopped fighting and was relaxed enough for Sasuke to bring him back to his chest. The raven-haired teen still continued with the strange noises until the cub was comfortably settled against him again.

Supporting the not-so-small cub with one arm, Sasuke began to gently pet along Bipin's spine. When the young tiger didn't seem to react to the human touch, the Uchiha turned to Gaara.

"If you want to pet him, go ahead," Sasuke whispered so as not to disturb his new charge. "Just avoid the dangerous parts obviously."

Tentatively, Gaara reached out a hand and copied the Uchiha's actions and rhythm perfectly, not wanting the cub to realize it was him and not Sasuke petting his back. The raven-haired teen paid close attention to both Bipin and Gaara. He was happy to note that the cub was very tolerant of the touch now that he was over his initial fear. Sasuke saw this as a good sign as far as training the animal went, even though he knew it would take a while to get the cub past reacting in fear with each time he was handled. Eventually it wouldn't be an issue though. Sasuke was also happy to note a small smile tugging at the corner of Gaara's mouth, something he was positive was uncommon for the redhead based on his behavior.

After a few moments, Gaara reluctantly withdrew his hand, "You're really lucky, Sasuke."

"Usually I'm willing to agree with that," the Uchiha replied, "even when it's my turn to do nightly feedings once every hour throughout most of the late spring and summer. We've raised a lot more than just tiger and lion cubs in this house."

"I take it you've been doing this your entire life?" Gaara asked.

"My grandparents founded the rescue center, and my parents, brother, and I were raised right along side the animals. Itachi and I have always helped out where we could," Sasuke said, smiling sadly. "My brother's in charge of the place now since mom and dad died in a fire last spring. I got as many of my certifications to handle and care for the animals as I was allowed to by law when I was sixteen. I'm going to get some additional ones later this year when I turn eighteen."

"Do you miss your parents?" Gaara whispered, then sighed. "Of course you would. Stupid question."

"It's not that stupid," the Uchiha replied, studying the redhead. "I was never really as close to my parents as most kids I've met, but yes, I do miss them."

Gaara nodded, following Sasuke out of his room and downstairs to the kitchen. There they met with Sasuke's brother and another pale-skinned, raven-haired man that Gaara assumed correctly to be "Oreo."

"Hey, Aniki, Oreo, I'm going to take Gaara home now, so could one of you watch Bipin while I'm gone?" Sasuke asked sweetly.

Itachi laughed, taking the cub, "Of course, but you need to drop that tone of voice. You're too big to be an imp, anymore… Ow!"

It was Sasuke's turn to laugh as the tiger cub tried to bite at whatever was in range of his sharp teeth, startled at being jostled during the exchange of hands. As his brother got the cub calmed down again, Sasuke and Gaara headed towards the door.

"Thanks for picking up the rats, Sasuke," Orochimaru said, leaning against the table by the door where the box sat.

"You're welcome, Oreo," Sasuke replied in a less "impish" tone than what he had used with his brother.

When Orochimaru moved to ruffle the younger Uchiha's hair affectionately, Gaara suddenly jumped back and stared. All three raven-haired males looked at him in question.

"B-b-big s-sn-snake," Gaara stuttered. Orochimaru smiled and began unwinding the huge black rat snake from his shoulders and torso which had blended in with his long hair and black shirt.

"His name is Dionysus," the snake-handler continued to smile even wider, purposely making it as creepy as possible.

"Oreo, quit it," Sasuke scolded. "I'll never get him back in this house if you don't, and then how will we finish our English assignment?"

Orochimaru just gave a soft laugh and moved away from the door. Sasuke and Gaara slipped outside and headed for the Uchiha's SUV.

"And they say I'm crazy," the redhead mumbled as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"That's nothing. You should see him during the weeks of the rescue center's haunted maze," Sasuke said as they drove off. "Sometimes, I have to wonder if it's not actually the rest of the year that he's acting rather than vice versa. I still love the guy though."

Gaara just shook his head. The Uchiha was crazy.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Reviews and suggestions are always appreciated - and especially useful right now since this is a new and developing story!

Check out my profile for news updates!

- Stony Knight


	2. The Difference Between You and Me

**The Chimera's Spirit:**

**Chapter 2: The Difference Between You and Me**

**Warnings:** mentions of boyXboy in this chapter (but it isn't SasuGaa/GaaSasu yet!), a minimal amount of swearing, and um… nothing else I can really think of at the moment.

**A/N:** Just to clear this up before anyone finds the need to ask - in this story, Sasuke is almost 18 (sorry, I know I'm probably ignoring his real birth date…), Itachi is 23, and Orochimaru is 28 (he would have started "babysitting" the brothers when he was 14, but it was more for Sasuke's sake than Itachi's). You'll understand why I wanted to make this clear after reading this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Just writing for fun. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Gaara watched with slightly widened eyes as Sasuke struggled to carefully and gently pry Bipin's teeth from around his shin. The Uchiha was flopped on his bed, trying to get enough leverage to lift his leg out of the cub's reach even while Bipin was still firmly attached. The young tiger seemed determined to hang on, even if the majority of his paws were unable to touch the floor.

"Ow, damn it!" Sasuke hissed. "Not fair! Let go! Let go! Let go!"

Finally, the Uchiha managed to get enough of his hand between the cub's teeth and his leg to pull the mouth open. Bipin immediately dropped to the floor but attempted to take Sasuke's hand with him, clamping down on the teen's fingers.

"Bipin, I said let go!" Sasuke pushed the cub off.

The young tiger immediately darted under the Uchiha's desk, startling Gaara badly as the redhead was sitting in the desk's chair. Now, instead of a cub attached to his leg, Sasuke found a teenager clinging to his shoulder.

"It's okay, Gaara," the Uchiha whispered. "He's not going to come out of there unless we crowd him or until he calms down again."

Gaara nodded but continued to watch the shadowed area under the desk for a few moments.

"Are you okay?" the redhead finally asked.

"I'm fine," Sasuke replied. "My jeans protected the skin of my shin, although I am going to have quite a bruise."

"What about your hand?" Gaara noted a few deep indentations in the other's flesh, but there was no blood visible.

"It's fine. No real harm done there either," Sasuke glanced at the other teen. The redhead was still clinging to his shoulder, but Gaara's grip was relaxing some.

"At least we got our paper printed out before he woke up and got spooked," Sasuke commented.

Gaara nodded again and suddenly seemed to realize he was clinging to the Uchiha. He immediately pulled away and began mumbling an apology.

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke gave him a gentle smile. "Better you than Bipin. Your nails aren't as sharp as his."

The Uchiha was surprised when Gaara blushed lightly at the comment, the redhead turning away to try and hide it. Sasuke found his interest in the boy immediately doubled, but he decided not to say anything about the blush. It was only the end of the fourth day of classes. Although the raven-haired teen had not seen anything to indicate that Gaara was the bully that Naruto and Lee claimed him to be, Sasuke didn't want to risk anything just yet. He enjoyed working with the seemingly reserved redhead and didn't want to jeopardize the possibility of working with him again in the future.

As the two teenagers continued to sit in a contemplative silence, studying the space where the tiger cub had disappeared to, Bipin slowly poked his head out from under the desk. He seemed to stare back at Sasuke as he made a plaintive cry to his keeper, ears twitching to a flattened position to indicate his fear and nervousness. Sasuke stayed perfectly still and waited.

After a while, Bipin slipped out from under the desk and lay down on the floor in front of the Uchiha. He made another plaintive cry, but his ears were no longer tightly pressed to his head. Sasuke continued to give the cub time, and after another few minutes, Bipin approached closer still until he could sniff at the teen's hands. Ever so slowly, Sasuke lifted one set of fingers to gently rub the tiger's ears and neck.

"I take it this is your apology?" the Uchiha asked in soothing tones. "Or maybe you're just wondering where your dinner is."

Moving cautiously, the raven-haired teen positioned himself to pick the cub up and did so. Bipin gave a half-hearted snarl but allowed Sasuke to cradle him without struggle. The Uchiha smiled and chuffed to the cub who perked up with interest at the sound.

"You're not so bad, are you?" Sasuke spoke. "You just get scared every once in a while, because you forget you're no longer with your momma."

"You'd make a good parent," Gaara commented, watching the Uchiha continue to sooth the young tiger.

"Perhaps, but I doubt I'll ever have any kids other than the four-footed and furry kind," Sasuke replied, stepping out of his room.

"Why not?" the redhead followed the Uchiha down the stairs to the kitchen.

"I guess it's because I've never met a girl around my age that I can get along with," he said as he put Bipin down on the floor.

Sasuke walked over to one of the two refrigerators in the kitchen and pulled out a container. Gaara had found out earlier in the week that this second frig was filled with food for the animals that were kept in or near the house. The younger Uchiha brother had also informed him that he prepared most of the food early in the morning as part of his daily duties so it would be ready for use throughout the day. Right now, Sasuke was feeding Bipin his third meal of the day out of four and at this point in the cub's development, the only one that was all meat.

"Um, Sasuke?" the Uchiha looked up to where the redhead was standing to see him staring into the living room.

Glancing into the other room, Sasuke knew exactly what had caught the other's attention. Dionysus was slipping over the back of the couch and was about to fall to the floor. The Uchiha sighed. Stepping into the other room, Sasuke collected the snake before giving a mischievous smirk. Orochimaru was sound asleep on the couch, providing him with an opportunity he just couldn't pass up.

Draping the six-foot black rat snake around his shoulders and torso, Sasuke quietly snuck into the kitchen again and began filling a pot with cold water. Gaara kept his distance but watched on in curiosity, an amused smirk slowly coming to his own face as he figured out what was about to happen.

Sasuke snuck back into the living room and leaned over the back of the couch, pot in hand. In one massive rush, he dumped the entire thing over Orochimaru's head, causing him to wake up in a fit of sputtering. Golden eyes locked onto onyx-black for a split second before Sasuke darted away laughing.

"SASUKE!" Orochimaru lurched over the back of the couch after him. The teen was not only quicker but had gotten a slight head start, and so he managed to easily elude the snake-handler's grasp.

"Careful, Oreo," Sasuke smirked back at him. "I've got your snake, and you certainly wouldn't want me to accidentally squeeze him too hard, would you? I believe it would be rather painful."

"Okay, that is not the type of thing a big brother wants to hear from his sibling's mouth the moment he steps through the door," Itachi commented from the other side of the kitchen. "It's just wrong on so many levels, especially when directed at my boyfriend."

"Well if you would like to hold your boyfriend's snake, I'll happily hand him over, because I believe my tiger is done with his dinner now," Sasuke twitched a hip teasingly before stepping over to Itachi and draping Dionysus around his shoulders.

Before Orochimaru could even think about trying to go after Sasuke again, the younger Uchiha brother scooped up Bipin and headed out the door, signaling Gaara to follow. The raven-haired teen hid another smirk as he noted another light blush had climbed onto the redhead's face. The quiet boy was definitely interesting.

* * *

"Well, Sasuke, looks like you survived Gaara," Naruto commented as the teens sat down with their usual lunch group.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," the Uchiha replied. "Gaara never did or said anything that I found the least bit threatening. I'm beginning to think you made the whole thing up about him being a bully."

"What about the bruises on your hand? They weren't there yesterday," Naruto pointed out.

"Gaara had nothing to do with how I got these," Sasuke was becoming slightly annoyed with the whole thing. Naruto and Lee had bugged him all week about the English assignment, and at this point, he was looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend with his tiger cub and far away from them.

"How did you manage to come by them, then, Sasuke?" Lee asked, leaning far too close for the Uchiha's comfort, trying to get a better look at the bruises.

"Lee, back off," Sasuke growled, glaring at the green-clad boy, "Unless you'd like to receive some similar bruises?"

Both Lee and Naruto stared at the Uchiha, never having heard him use such a tone before. Shino was also slightly surprised, but no one would ever notice it behind his ever-present sunglasses. Kiba simply regarded the raven-haired teenager for a few moments before encouraging his two overly-inquisitive friends to do as Sasuke commanded. The Uchiha then proceeded to eat his lunch while ignoring everyone else at the table.

* * *

Sasuke was still in a foul mood when gym class rolled around. Thankfully, it was the last class he had on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As he stepped into the gymnasium with his classmates, the teacher, Gai-sensei, announced in an overly-cheerful voice that they would be playing dodge ball today, and so the guys had better get changed quickly unless they wanted to be used as an example during the explaining of the rules.

Both Lee and Naruto were in PE with Sasuke, and already being in a bad mood, the Uchiha was really at the end of his tolerance when both teens gasped and rushed to him upon seeing his black and purple shin. Sasuke knew that all he had to do to get them off his back was to explain to them about Bipin's little attack from the day before, but the raven-haired teen's stubborn nature refused to let him bend to such an easy escape. He felt he shouldn't have to explain himself to two loud-mouthed idiots. He could take care of himself. He didn't need them "fawning" over him as if he were some fragile, little wallflower. And he was determined to use this little round of dodge ball to prove just that.

Being a slight closet-sadist like quite a number of other gym teachers, Gai-sensei broke down the class into two teams: the jocks and the nerds. Or so it would have been in most other schools. Sasuke found himself teamed up with Shikamaru, Shino, and Gaara, along with various other students he hadn't bothered to learn the names of yet. Across from them on the opposing team were Kiba, Naruto, and Lee with the rest of the class.

With five red, rubber balls sitting at the center line of the gymnasium, Gai-sensei gave the signal to begin. Reflexes faster than anyone else's, Sasuke darted forward to grab up two of the balls, Kiba, Lee, and Naruto getting the other three. Before any of the three could even take aim, Sasuke slammed one ball into Lee's side. The green-clad idiot actually yelped!

Next Sasuke found himself blocking a shot from Kiba with his remaining ball, the scruffy teenager grinning wickedly at him. After that, Naruto took his shot, which the Uchiha dodged effortlessly before slamming his second ball into the blonde's chest. Naruto stumbled and fell backwards, coughing harshly, the wind knocked out of him.

"You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of," Sasuke growled at the blonde. "Stop trying to look out for me. I don't need it!"

By now other students from Kiba's team began to get in on the game, rushing forward to collect the rubber balls. Gaara joined Sasuke in creaming as many of the others as they could, eventually the game coming down to the two of them versus Kiba.

"Kill 'em, Kiba! Win this game!" Naruto shouted. The blonde's tone showed that apparently he was a little miffed about Sasuke's harsh treatment towards him.

"Yeah, Kiba, come and get me," Sasuke laughed almost cruelly. The Inuzuka glared at the raven-haired boy.

"Why are you being such a bastard, Sasuke?" he demanded. "I don't remember you being like this."

Sasuke began pacing back and forth on his side of the boundary line, holding one of the red balls in his hands, ready to defend or attack. Kiba also had a ball and followed the Uchiha's every move, waiting for the other to take some type of action.

"You never really knew me, Kiba," Sasuke smirked. "You only ever really saw me when Deidara and I took one of the hawks out hunting and your sister told you to tag along. Would you like to know why she made you tag along with us? Why she still won't let you into the wolf pens at the ranch?"

"How would you know? Has she told you?" Kiba shot back. "She's my sister, not yours. I would think I would know her reasons better than you."

"Well then, enlighten me," Sasuke's smirk grew wider.

"She says I'm not old enough to be legally allowed in the pens yet," Kiba replied, smirking back.

Sasuke laughed again, then stopped pacing to stand up straight. Thinking the Uchiha was finally going to attack him, Kiba prepared to defend himself. A red, rubber ball rushed towards the Inuzuka, but he wasn't fast enough. The ball slammed into his side, knocking his own ball out of his hands.

"What the…?" the scruffy teen stared at the ball still held at the ready in the Uchiha's hands.

"You should have realized that reason makes no sense when I told you my brother is teaching me to handle and care for the cats. Hana won't let you in the pens, Kiba, because you lack awareness of the world around you," Sasuke's smirk melted into a frown. "You'd end up getting hurt, because you would undoubtedly lose track of where one or more of the animals is in relation to your own position, just as you did now with Gaara. You are such an idiot."

"When did you two have time to plan this?" Kiba demanded.

Sasuke sighed. The boy was just not getting the point that he had just made.

"We didn't plan it," Gaara spoke. "I just got sick of standing here while you two yapped."

"If that's what has you in such a foul mood, then why are you taking it out on me and Lee?" Naruto shouted, striding angrily onto the court.

"Because you two are too loud!" the Uchiha hissed. "You drown out everything around you and make yourselves the center of attention. It's disgusting! You're worse than Kiba! Learn to be quiet once in a while and you may discover something you never knew before."

"Alright, boys, that's enough," Gai-sensei broke into the argument. "Go hit the showers."

Most of the teens headed for the locker room, but Naruto and Kiba continued glaring at the Uchiha. Gaara also stayed put, observing the three in their now-silent battle.

"Sasuke, go get cleaned up," came a familiar voice the Uchiha wasn't expecting to hear at this time and place. "We need you at home."

"What's up, Aniki?" the younger brother turned to find Itachi walking towards the group, having entered through the doors to the school hallways.

"We got a call about a mountain lion getting hit by a vehicle," Itachi informed him. "Orochimaru and I are going to check it out. Chances are the animal will have to be put down, but the fish & game commission wants us to assess it first."

"How long are you going to be gone do you think?" Sasuke asked.

"We don't know. Kimimaro has agreed to stay and do the evening check around the cat compounds," the older Uchiha replied, "and Orochimaru already closed up the reptile house. Basically you'll just need to look after Bipin tonight by yourself."

"Okay, just please be careful, Aniki," Sasuke reached up and hugged his older sibling. Kiba and Naruto grimaced slightly, even though Itachi didn't seem to mind that his little brother was all sweaty from the dodge ball game.

"You too," Itachi replied. "Bipin really caught you off guard last night, didn't he?"

The older Uchiha gently ran his fingers over the bruises on Sasuke's hand before poking his little brother's forehead and walking out of the gymnasium. At that moment, Sasuke knew his brother had heard everything he had said to Kiba and had given him that warning just to annoy him. The teen glared at the door his brother had disappeared through for a few moments before turning and heading for the locker room to shower.

* * *

"Aniki?" Sasuke stood in the doorway to his brother's room. It was Sunday morning, and usually Itachi would have been up for a few hours already. This morning, however, he was still bundled deep in his blankets.

"He's sick, Sasuke," Orochimaru said from his seat on the edge of the bed, checking a thermometer. "You'll need to help Kimimaro with the cats today."

"Tell him you have my permission to help exercise everyone but Bastet," Itachi rasped from under the thick comforter. "You've learned a lot over the summer. Don't be afraid to use that knowledge."

"Thank you, Aniki," Sasuke replied, encouraged by his brother's confidence. "What about the reptile house, Oreo? Do you need me to do anything there for you?"

"I already gave instructions to Anko over the radio," the snake handler answered. "Thanks for offering though."

"Alright, feel better soon, Aniki," Sasuke nodded and slipped away from the room, knowing his brother needed to sleep. Itachi rarely took days off, so the younger Uchiha knew this was serious.

Sasuke had already eaten his own breakfast and fed Bipin his first meal of the day. He grabbed a collar and leash for the cub, knowing that Itachi took Bipin with him to the cat compounds when Sasuke was at school. They had a smaller pen where hand-raised cubs could play and explore the outdoor world before having to move out of the house permanently, and right now, Bipin was the only cub who made use of it. And he certainly wouldn't be moving out of the Uchiha house any time soon as far as Sasuke was concerned.

The two headed off in the direction of the cat compounds where they housed their lions and tigers. They also had three mountain lions, a pair of cheetahs, and an ocelot. All of the cats had either been seized from someone keeping the animals illegally or had been born at the ranch. They usually didn't breed the cats they kept unless they were contacted by a zoo or breeding facilities looking to expand their genetic pool. They absolutely refused to support any type of pet trade of the animals, but occasionally they would be contacted by organizations trying to reintroduce animals into nature preserves in the cats' native habitats. However, this happened only rarely which saddened Sasuke to some degree.

Kimimaro greeted the younger Uchiha with a wave when he came into sight of the compound. Sasuke waved back and then took Bipin over to his "playpen." With the cub romping happily in the pen's small pond, the teenager turned to talk with the ranch's other cat keeper.

"What's up, Sasuke?" Kimimaro asked. "Is there something wrong with your brother?"

"He's sick, but he said I'm supposed to help you today," the teen replied. "I'm allowed to help exercise everyone except Bastet."

"About time too. I've been watching him train you," Kimimaro smiled, "and I think you're more than ready for this."

"Thanks, Kimi," Sasuke smiled. "So how far along are you this morning? Where should I start?"

"Well, everyone has had breakfast, and all of the tigers are already outside in their enclosures," the pale-haired man replied. "I could use some help with the lions, though. Would you go over to Alexander's pen and let him and his girls out, while I deal with Sinbad?"

Sasuke nodded and headed for the building where said lions were kept, while Kimimaro headed in the opposite direction to let Sinbad, the ocelot, out into his enclosure. Stepping inside, the Uchiha was greeted by the pride of six pacing in front of the metal gate to their outdoor pen. He walked past the protective, chain link, floor-to-ceiling barriers to the set of cable pulleys on the wall opposite to the door. He unclipped the cable to the outer gate and hauled it down to the open position, the lions rushing outside as soon as the steel sheet of the gate was raised enough for them to slip through.

Sasuke shut the gate again as soon as the last lioness was outside, knowing that the deep water pans would need to be cleaned and refilled. He immediately set to work, draining the pans before scrubbing them out. He then rinsed and refilled them with cold water. Next, Sasuke turned to the feeding bins, scrubbing them out as well to rid them of any leftover meat particles that the lions may have left. Once this was done, he went in search of Kimimaro again to find out what else needed to be cleaned and tended.

"Hey, Kimi, do the other feed and water bins need cleaned in the other cat houses?" Sasuke asked when he found the pale haired man stepping out of the smallest building in the cat compound. "I'm done cleaning Alexander's."

"If you could get the tigers' bins, I'll take care of the others," Kimimaro replied. "Everyone is out in their respective pens now."

Again Sasuke nodded before heading off. Seeing as tigers were primarily solitary creatures as adults, each one at the ranch had its own indoor unit although they shared outdoor space two to an enclosure. Right now there were eight sets of bins that Sasuke had to clean out, so he wasted no time in getting to work. Kimimaro had only five sets to clean, not counting Sinbad's, but the teen didn't mind. He was faster at it, because he cleaned more often than the cat keeper; Kimimaro usually had more difficult duties to attend to when it came to his charges.

It took the younger Uchiha brother just over a half hour to tend to all of the feeding bins and watering pans. He slipped out of the tiger house and walked over to the central building to wait for Kimimaro to finish with the mountain lions' and cheetahs' bins. From experience, Sasuke knew they would spend some time preparing toys for the cats with food treats inside of them next. Then they would distribute them to the animals, remaining for a time in selected pens to train and exercise some of the cats.

"So, I forgot to ask your brother what happened to the mountain lion that the fish & game commission called him about," Kimimaro commented as they stepped into the central building.

"They had to put it down," Sasuke informed the other. "He said that its spine was broken pretty far up on its body. It had no control of its legs or back end."

"That's too bad," Kimi replied. "It's been awhile since we got a truly wild animal in here, and I feel like I'm going to get a bit rusty on my handling skills when dealing with them."

Sasuke nodded as he stuffed meat treats into a giant, hard-rubber cube with holes in its sides. The cats would have to knock it around to get the treats out, and its design made it a bit more challenging than the typical balls. He and Kimimaro prepared enough toys for all of the animals and piled them into giant, wheeled carts that reminded Sasuke of the dirt laundry carts that they used in hotels. When they were done with the preparations, the two took the carts to the human-use gates to the outdoor pens and began distributing the toys.

The day passed much too quickly for Sasuke's liking. Even though he had only been in school for a week, he missed being able to work with the animals all day. During his time helping Kimimaro, the younger Uchiha brother spent most of his time in the tiger pens. He put the animals through different sets of commands and manipulations meant to keep them easy to handle during vet checks and if they were called to work on a movie set. All of the cats that Sasuke worked with had been hand raised by humans, making them easier to work with, but the teenager always kept in mind that the tigers were still wild animals. If anything happened to frighten or anger them, they could immediately revert back to their primary instincts and ignore all of their training, attacking the younger Uchiha without a second thought.

At the end of the day, Sasuke collected Bipin from his playpen and bid farewell to Kimimaro. Tiger and teenager headed back to the Uchiha house, ready for dinner and a long, hot shower. After spending an entire day working with the adult cats, Sasuke was looking forward to just spending some downtime with his cub. Bipin was fairly tired from playing and exploring all day and would probably fall asleep at the teen's feet for most of the evening.

As Sasuke carried the cub through the back door of the house, he found Orochimaru heating up some soup at the kitchen stove.

"Hi, Oreo," the younger Uchiha greeted the snake handler. "How's aniki doing?"

"I think I'm going to take him to the doctor's office in the morning," Orochimaru replied. "You know how stubborn he usually is when he's sick, but this time, he seems different. I'm worried it might be something more than just a cold."

Sasuke gave a nod in response before giving Bipin his dinner. The teenager then turned to the snake handler and wrapped his arms around the man's chest, sighing.

"Was today that bad?" Orochimaru joked.

"No, I just don't like it when you or aniki are sick," Sasuke replied. "For some reason I feel like I can never do enough to help you when this happens compared to everything you two do for me when I'm sick."

"Well, I hope that will change now that you can take over your brother's duties at the cat compound when he needs you to do so," Orochimaru smiled down at the slightly shorter male. "Kimimaro called me over the radio when you two were done and said you did a hell of a lot today. You're becoming a real asset to the ranch, Sasuke-kun."

"Thanks, Oreo," the Uchiha smiled before releasing the man to take the warmed soup to Itachi. Sasuke then prepared his own meal and stepped into the living room to watch the evening news while he ate. Bipin followed after licking his own bowl clean and curled up against the teen's outstretched legs.

* * *

Well, there's chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Thanks to all of my reviewers from chapter one! I'm always happy to hear from my readers!

And please check out my profile for updates and other information if you have the time.

Thanks again,

Stony Knight


	3. Medieval Threats Reawakened

**The Chimera's Spirit:**

**Chapter 3: Medieval Threats Reawakened**

**Warnings:** Gaara/Sasuke fluff, Orochimaru/Sasuke comfort, and not much else.

**A/N:** I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. The semester decided to sneak up behind me and demand I do "real work" for some of my classes that I had been expecting would be less involved. And next semester looks like it's going to be similar. This chapter is a little shorter than what I had been hoping for, but if I add another scene, it won't end as cleanly. Semester break is coming up in a few weeks, however, so I should have more time to write by then. Again, sorry it's so late!

**Disclaimer:** Just writing for fun. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he collapsed into his seat in his English class. The raven-haired teenager really felt that he should be home right now. Orochimaru was taking his brother to the doctor's office this morning, meaning Kimimaro would be left alone to tend to the cats himself. Bipin would also be spending most of his time alone today, and after just over a week of living in the Uchiha house, the tiger cub had seemingly latched on to Sasuke and Itachi as his new family. While he was still easily spooked, Bipin was definitely taking to being handled much better now and was even becoming more affectionate. School just wasn't fair.

As Sasuke continued to dwell on the situation, Kakashi entered the classroom, carrying a stack of papers.

"Well, class, I've graded your first assignment already, and the scores are very good," the silver-haired man announced. "So I've decided to allow you to work with partners again for your next assignment as well."

Before discussing the next assignment, Kakashi passed the first assignment back to the class so the students could look over their grades. Sasuke began to gather his gear when he saw Gaara receive their paper, but the redhead signaled for the Uchiha to stay put. Instead of making the raven-haired teen move, Gaara brought the paper and his own belongings over to the window seat behind Sasuke so the two could discuss their grade. Kiba and Naruto stared in shock as the redhead settled into the seat.

"What do you think you're staring at?" Gaara growled at them.

Both boys stuttered something that sounded like an apology before returning their focus to their own paper. Sasuke blinked at their hunched backs before turning to give Gaara an amused grin.

"You really do have quite the reputation, don't you?" the Uchiha commented. "I never imagined anything could render that blonde idiot inarticulate."

Gaara gave a noncommittal shrug in response before both teenagers began looking over their graded paper. After a few minutes, Kakashi-sensei began explaining the requirements for their next assignment and then gave the students the rest of the class period to work on it.

* * *

Sasuke was beginning to really dread lunch period. One look at Naruto and Lee whispering to each other in the lunch line sent a premonition of impending annoyance shivering down the Uchiha's spine almost immediately upon entering the cafeteria. Based on the glances the two energetic teens kept sending his way, Sasuke knew they were discussing the incident from English class.

The raven-haired teen settled into his typical lunch seat, holding back a groan as he wondered why he was still eating with the greatest sources of his annoyance. Naruto and Lee were not exactly people he needed to treat with politeness; they held no sway over his future as far as Sasuke could tell. No one had ever mentioned either boy's family being of any importance or power in the community. It wasn't like the ranch would be relieved of any philanthropist's donation over the younger Uchiha chewing out a couple of imbeciles. Of course the ranch wouldn't really be crippled in any way by loosing such monies, but Itachi certainly wouldn't be pleased with his little brother over such a loss.

Sasuke sighed as his mind once again returned to the subject of his brother; he was really worried about the older Uchiha. Itachi was rarely ever sick, and this was certainly the worst that Sasuke had ever seen him. The raven-haired teen felt his anxiety beginning to build to illogical levels at this point but found himself helpless in the face of his fear for his brother. Sasuke silently took up a mental mantra, telling himself his nerves were simply the result of losing his parents the spring before.

The younger Uchiha was so focused on his repetitive thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello?" Sasuke answered after fumbling with the device for a moment. The four other teens at his lunch table immediately fell silent.

"What's up, Oreo? How's Aniki?" Sasuke asked. Kiba, Naruto, Lee, and Shino noted the worried expression on the other boy's face and held their breaths.

"What do you mean they're admitting him? What's wrong with him?…"

"Plague?! But that's impossible, isn't it?!…"

"…,"

"Wha… Oreo, please… is he going to be okay?" Sasuke was sweating and quivering by now, all color having drained out of his face.

"…,"

"Oreo, I…" Sasuke choked back a sob as he shuttered and fumbled through the rest of the conversation, only hearing about half of what the snake-handler was trying to tell him. As soon as the phone call had ended, the raven-haired teen jammed his phone back into his pocket and dashed out of the cafeteria.

Sasuke headed straight to the nearest boys' restroom and immediately collapsed into the closest, empty stall, heaving his lunch up and out of his stomach that he had eaten only moments ago. The Uchiha couldn't believe it; his brother had caught a respiratory form of plague, the source of which was apparently the mountain lion that he had had to euthanize on Friday afternoon. Now Itachi was in the hospital, fighting off an illness that Sasuke had thought was long gone with medieval times.

Once his stomach was finally empty, the raven-haired teenager crawled to his feet and staggered over to a sink to wash out his mouth. Just as he thought he was regaining his composure, Sasuke felt another surge of emotions crash over him, and he began sobbing uncontrollably into the sink he was leaning on. The distraught teen didn't notice one of his fellow seniors was mocking him and had been since he had lost his lunch; he didn't even register that someone else might even be in the restroom with him at the moment.

The Uchiha jolted upright when the restroom door slammed open. Sasuke saw Gaara standing in the doorway, taking in the seen for a moment before storming over to the other student who had been mocking the raven-haired teen.

"Get out, Dosu, or I'll pummel you into the ground until the janitor has to soak you up with a mop!" the redhead growled harshly.

The other boy shrank away from Gaara and slipped out of the restroom as quickly as possible, holding his hands in an entreating fashion while mumbling apologies. With one nuisance gone, the redheaded teen turned to beginning systematically slamming open stall doors one at a time, looking for anyone else in the restroom besides the Uchiha. Sasuke watched, tears still streaming down his face, not yet understanding what the other teen was doing. Finally satisfied that they were alone, Gaara locked the restroom door and slipped over to the Uchiha, looking him over.

"If you don't stop that, everyone's going to label you as a sissy, even if you do play with tigers at home," Gaara said softly as he fetched a paper towel and wetted it. Gently, the redhead began to run it over the Uchiha's face, washing away his tears.

"What happened, Sasuke? What's wrong?"

The raven-haired teen stared in wonder at his friend, Gaara's complete change in demeanor shocking him. Slowly, Sasuke swallowed before quietly telling the redhead about his brother being in the hospital. As soon as the words were out, the Uchiha felt a fresh wave of sobs boil up his throat, and he turned to lean back over the sink as he cried.

"This isn't going to do, Uchiha," Gaara sighed, rubbing circles over the raven-haired teen's back. "Come on, where are your keys? I'll drive you home."

"Why are you doing this for me?" Sasuke choked out after a moment.

Gaara didn't answer his friend, instead pulling him upright and wiping away the Uchiha's tears again. Sasuke stared at the shorter boy for a few minutes before glancing away and pulling out the keys to his SUV. Gaara took the fistful of metal and turned away, heading over to the restroom door to unlock it.

"We better hurry if we want to get you out of here before the next bell rings and the lunch period ends," Gaara commented.

Sasuke followed the redhead, acting more like an obedient dog than his typical self in his distraught state. The pair stopped at the Uchiha's locker for his books before slipping unseen out of the school. The ride to the ranch passed by in a blur for Sasuke, the teen not even realizing where they were until Gaara opened his passenger door and gently tugged on the other to get out of the SUV.

Once the younger Uchiha was in the safety of his house, he bolted up to his room and collapsed on his bed. Gaara followed at a more sedated pace, silently slipping into the room to sit on the edge of the bed beside Sasuke. Again the redhead placed a gentle hand on the other teen's shoulder and rubbed it comfortingly. After awhile Sasuke fell asleep under the watchful eye of the redhead, completely worn out by the rampaging emotions running through his body.

* * *

Light from the setting sun glared across Sasuke's eyelids, bringing him out of his soothing sleep. As the raven-haired teen blinked awake, he noted a weight wrapped around his middle, and he glanced down to see it was an arm. Looking back over his shoulder, the Uchiha was only slightly surprised to see that Gaara had fallen asleep behind him on his bed. Carefully, Sasuke rolled over and snuggled into the other teen's warmth, not caring about the potential awkwardness of their positions. The younger Uchiha just wanted to be comforted right now, and with his brother gone, Gaara was as good a source as any. After a few moments, the teenager had fallen back to sleep.

* * *

The next time Sasuke awoke, he found himself still tightly burrowed against Gaara's chest. The other boy was running his fingers through the Uchiha's raven mane, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his friend was awake, so Sasuke decided to stay perfectly still and enjoy the comfort being given.

The atmosphere was short-lived, however, as Bipin came bounding into the room and pounced on Sasuke's bed. Gaara gave an undignified yelp, while the Uchiha rolled over with a groan. The tiger cub padded up to the head of the bed and playfully took Sasuke's forearm in his mouth, slamming a paw down onto his keeper's chest. Without hesitation, Sasuke wrapped his free arm about the cub and rolled them both over until Bipin was pinned beneath him. The Uchiha growled playful at the cub in return, nipping at his black and white ear, before finally releasing the young tiger.

As Sasuke sat up, he looked around his room to find Gaara huddled on the desk chair as far away from the cub as he could possibly get. The Uchiha couldn't help it; he laughed. While at school, Gaara would apparently take on anyone who pissed him off, and yet, the redhead was afraid of a barely four-month-old tiger cub.

"Gaara, come here," Sasuke asked as he got the cub under control. "Bipin's only playing. He won't hurt you."

"How can you know that for sure?" the redhead inquired.

"I can tell by his body language," Sasuke replied. "Bipin's happy and relaxed; he's not showing any signs of fear or aggression. And tigers don't use their claws when they play at this age."

"But he could get startled," Gaara pointed out.

"Any animal could become dangerous if startled," the Uchiha countered. "It doesn't matter if the animal is tame or wild."

After a long moment, Gaara slowly unfolded himself from the desk chair and approached the bed. Bipin watched the redhead with his golden eyes, stretching his neck towards the teen as he got closer. The tiger cub gave a plaintive call when Gaara was within petting distance from him.

"I think he missed you over the weekend," Sasuke commented to his friend. "He was constantly searching around the house."

Cautiously, Gaara reached out to rub the tiger cub's head, Bipin raising his head to bump up against his hand. The cub gave another plaintive cry before beginning the strange, chuffing noise that the redhead had come to equate as the tiger's equivalent of a purr. After another moment, Gaara sat down beside Sasuke and Bipin on the bed.

"Feeling any better?" Gaara asked quietly.

"I'm tired now and still worried about my brother," Sasuke sighed after a moment, "but I've calmed down enough to think more clearly now, I guess."

Gaara didn't say anything in return as he continued to rub Bipin's head and lean against the Uchiha. A few moments of silence passed before there was a light knock at the bedroom's doorframe. Both boys looked up to see who was interrupting them.

"Dinner's ready," Orochimaru announced.

"How late is it?" Sasuke asked, glancing out his window.

"It's about seven o'clock," the snake handler replied before turning back to the hallway and heading for the staircase. Sasuke and Gaara both followed, the Uchiha still holding the tiger cub close to his chest.

Dinner passed in a strange silence that was neither comfortable nor truly awkward. Sasuke had enough of his wits about him to notice that the atmosphere didn't seem to bother Gaara; it was almost as if the redhead was perfectly accustomed to such a setting.

After the meal was finished, Kimimaro, who hadn't left the ranch yet, offered to take Gaara home. Sasuke tried to refuse to allow the pale-haired man to do such a thing for his friend, but Gaara was just as adamant in not letting Sasuke drive him home. So when the oddly-calm argument finally ended, the redhead left with Kimimaro, leaving Sasuke alone in the kitchen with Orochimaru.

"Oreo?" Sasuke's voice was disturbingly soft and feeble. Before the snake handler could inquire as to what was on the younger Uchiha's mind, Sasuke had stood from his seat and wrapped himself around the older man. Orochimaru glanced up into the boy's disturbed, endlessly-dark eyes and wrapped his arms around Sasuke in return.

"It's going to be alright, Sasuke," Orochimaru spoke. "Itachi will be fine. The doctors are taking good care of him."

The two, raven-haired males stayed wrapped around each other for nearly an hour before either of them decided to move. Bipin had curled up by the pair's feet and stayed silent the entire time. Eventually both humans and the tiger cub roused themselves enough to leave the kitchen and collapse onto the living room couch. Although Orochimaru turned on the television, hoping to distract both his own mind and Sasuke's from the current situation, neither one really paid much attention to it. Instead, the two males just held onto each other and fell asleep on the couch with Bipin on the floor at their feet.

* * *

Orochimaru awoke as the rising sun began to brighten the living room. The television was still on with a newscaster reporting on some sports event from the night before. The snake handler ignored the broadcast, turning his attention instead to the teenaged Uchiha sleeping on his chest. Sasuke was mumbling in his sleep, but his words were unintelligible. From the tone of voice, Orochimaru determined that the boy was probably having a pleasant dream and not a nightmare. Every once in a while, the pale-skinned man thought he caught Bipin's name among the young Uchiha's mumblings.

The tiger cub himself was actually draped over the pair's feet at the end of the couch. Bipin had awoken as well, probably having been roused by Orochimaru's shifting legs as the snake handler had come to awareness. At the moment, the cub was simply watching Orochimaru, apparently wondering if it was time to get up; it was much earlier than Bipin was used to being roused by Sasuke. When it seemed that Orochimaru was not going to move from the couch, the young tiger dropped his head back to the armrest he had been using as a pillow.

Orochimaru's attention was redirected when he felt Sasuke shift against his chest. As the older male glanced down, he found the teen staring back at him with sleep-fogged eyes. Sasuke tightened his arms around the snake handler before burrowing his face back into Orochimaru's chest again. After a few moments, both men had fallen back to sleep.

* * *

School was nothing more than a hazy dream to Sasuke that day. The Uchiha had arrived late, entering his third-period class half-way through its allotted time. Orochimaru had sent a note with the young raven, explaining why he had skipped his afternoon classes the previous day and also why he was late this morning. Sasuke figured the information must have been circulated around to his teachers; most of them had offered some kind word of sympathy to him throughout the day. The Uchiha could barely contain his anger at each of these occurrences, though. Itachi was in the hospital, not dead. If the teachers wanted to say anything to anyone, they should be sending get well cards to the older Uchiha Sasuke decided.

Lunch was a bit odd. Kiba, Naruto, and Lee all seemed somewhat subdued compared to their usual selves. Sasuke was a bit relieved by this, but he wasn't about to announce it aloud. As the Uchiha sat down to nibble and prod at the minimal lunch he had brought, Kiba decided to speak up for the group.

"So, um, Sasuke…," the scruffy teen's voice was soft. "What happened yesterday?"

"Itachi's in the hospital with a respiratory form of the plague," the Uchiha replied rather stiffly before completely ignoring the three boys. Shino would also have been seemingly ignore if it weren't for the fact that the quiet teen rarely gave any input into their conversations; things were no different than usual as far as he was concerned.

As the five teenagers ate in silence, Gaara slipped up behind Sasuke and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kiba, Naruto, and Lee all watched the redhead nervously, but the Uchiha felt himself becoming slightly calmer in Gaara's presence.

"You could have just stayed home the entire day, you know," the redhead commented.

"Itachi would chew me out for skipping just because he's in the hospital," Sasuke replied, glancing up at Gaara. The red-haired teen stole an empty chair from a nearby table and sat down next to the young raven.

"Eat," Gaara commanded gently. "You barely touched your dinner last night, and I doubt you had much breakfast this morning."

Sasuke stared at the redhead for a moment, his face blank of emotion, but after a moment he began to eat his food rather than pick at it. Gaara placed an elbow on the table and propped his hand on his fist, watching the Uchiha eat.

"Are you coming back over today?" Sasuke asked quietly, after he had finished most of his meal.

"Well, as you pointed out yesterday, Bipin apparently missed me over the weekend, and I'm not about to upset a tiger, no matter if it's still a cub or not," Gaara gave the Uchiha a minute smirk.

"Well, his keeper appreciates it just as much as he does," Sasuke whispered right before the bell rang, and they all had to head to their next class. Kiba, Naruto, and Lee all exchanged odd glances as the trio watched Sasuke and Gaara head down the hallway to their lockers together.

"Do you think we should be worried about Sasuke?" Naruto asked his friends quietly.

"Do you mean concerning Itachi or concerning Gaara?" Kiba asked in reply.

"Both, I suppose, but I was referring more to Gaara," Naruto answered.

"Gaara won't hurt him," Shino announced from behind Kiba, Naruto, and Lee, startling all three boys. Before any of the teens could question him about his statement, Shino slipped off towards his next class. Kiba, Naruto, and Lee once again exchanged glances before heading towards their respective classrooms as well.

* * *

Sasuke collapsed onto his bed with a sigh as soon as he stepped through his bedroom door. Gaara gave an amused smirk but hid it from the Uchiha, knowing it was impolite considering the cause of the other's weariness. After a moment's contemplation, the redhead flopped down beside his friend, figuring if yesterday had not resulted in any type of discomfort between the two of them, such an action would have little effect today. Sasuke raised his head enough to glance at Gaara before settling himself more comfortably beside the slightly smaller teen.

"So even though I would enjoy just falling asleep again like yesterday, we need to start working on our English assignment," Sasuke muttered.

"Well, why don't you just relax and talk, and I'll take notes and do all the typing this time?" Gaara suggested. The Uchiha replied with a nod and a smile, and the two teens got to work.

The new English assignment was even easier than the first, and soon Sasuke and Gaara had come up with a reasonable rough draft after just over an hour of discussion. The Uchiha suggested that they could wait until the next day to finish any editing, leaving them an additional day before the paper was actually due. After hitting the Save button one last time, Gaara shut down the word processor and Sasuke's computer before stretching out again beside the Uchiha.

"Gaara?" Sasuke whispered after a few moments of complete silence.

"Hmm?" the redhead grunted in reply.

"Why do you bully people?" Sasuke asked after a short pause.

The raven stared into the other's sky blue eyes as he waited for Gaara to give some sort of answer. The Uchiha figured he should probably be nervous or afraid of having irritated his friend with such a question, but at the moment, he was too tired and relaxed to care. Gaara would either answer or he wouldn't; he'd be angry or he wouldn't. The reaction didn't matter to the Uchiha at the moment, just as long as Gaara provided him some sort of distraction to get his mind off his brother for awhile longer.

The redhead pondered the question for awhile. Considering what he knew of Sasuke so far, Gaara figured that giving the Uchiha a truthful answer would not result in any negative consequences, and yet, a part of him was reluctant to reveal such information. After a long pause of deliberation, Gaara finally decided on a satisfactory answer that would suffice for now.

"Let's just say your brother and Orochimaru wouldn't get a very warm welcome at our school," the redhead whispered, knowing that the young raven was smart enough to catch the hidden meaning behind his words.

Sasuke gave Gaara a gentle smile after a moment and let his eyes slip shut. After another moment, the smile turned into a rather cruel, little smirk.

"We could always lock them in one of the enclosures if they would become too much of a bother," the Uchiha chuckled. "They'd certainly learn to be a little more accepting of a person who can hold their lives in his hands."

Gaara shook with silent laughter at the idea, smiling in turn. Soon, the redhead closed his eyes as well, giving a sigh as his amusement dissipated into relaxation. Shortly after, Sasuke curled up against the slightly smaller teen, his warm breath tickling Gaara's chest through the fabric of his shirt.

"Thanks, Gaara," Sasuke whispered as the redhead pulled him even closer.

"For what?" the other teen inquired.

"We've known each other for barely over a week, and yet you're helping me through somewhat of a family crisis," the Uchiha replied. "I don't think very many people would be willing to do that, let alone the school bully."

"Well, it's nice to have at least one ally, even if you're not a bully yourself," Gaara commented, running his fingers through the Uchiha's soft hair.

"I'm glad I can be your ally then," Sasuke nuzzled against the other boy's chest.

The two finally fell completely silent and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

So, that's it for now. And just so you know, there is such a thing as a respiratory form of the plague that can be carried by felines - just a little something I learned about in my wildlife classes. It's really kind of scary thinking about all the strange diseases that wildlife professionals may come across out in the field that "normal" people usually never come in contact with, especially when working with mammals or birds.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is currently trying to move faster than I would like, so any input or ideas would be very much appreciated - as well as any other comments of course.

Thanks for reading! ~ Stony Knight


	4. Of Jealous Tigers

**The Chimera's Spirit:**

**Chapter 4: Of Jealous Tigers**

**Warnings:** Gaara/Sasuke fluff, Orochimaru being creepy, eh…

**A/N:** Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to update again. I've had some writer's block lately and just couldn't find the motivation to write. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I've added some humor to try to get Sasuke away from sulking all the time, even though it cuts out some of the fluff. (I am a fluff addict, just so you know… heehee!) So I'll shut up and let you get to the chapter now… Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Just writing for fun. I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"What?" Sasuke laughed as Gaara glared at him. "I told you not to stand there."

It was Saturday, and the redhead had offered to spend the day at the ranch with Sasuke to try and keep his mind off the fact that Itachi was still in the hospital. The younger Uchiha had gladly accepted the offer and even invited Gaara to sleep over for the entire weekend to which the smaller teen had easily agreed.

Right now the two friends were standing outside the gate to one of the tiger pens where Sasuke had been distributing toys.

"I didn't think a tiger could spray that far," the redhead grumbled. "Now I smell like tiger piss… and it's getting cold."

Sasuke continued to laugh, "Yeah, but at least tiger piss smells like buttered popcorn."

"Kinda," Gaara grimaced.

"Come on, you can get a shower back at the house and borrow a set of my clothes," Sasuke said as he finished securing the outer gate to the tiger pens.

The Uchiha dragged the toy cart back to the central building of the cat compound before collecting Bipin from his playpen. Gaara shuffled after his raven-haired friend in embarrassment and discomfort, shivering slightly whenever a light breeze blew. Bipin, being on his leash today, padded over to the redhead curiously after Sasuke had led him through the gate of his outdoor pen. The cub sniffed for a long time at Gaara's jeans, his black and white ears twitching nervously.

"He's not going to spray me now, is he?" Gaara asked as he stood perfectly still, watching the cub intently.

"Bipin's too young to start doing things like that," Sasuke assured the redhead.

The young Uchiha was also watching the tiger cub intently, monitoring his response to the strange scent on Gaara. Eventually Bipin would have to join the other tigers in the cat compound once he became too big to stay in the house. This little encounter with the scent of one of the other males would give Sasuke some clue as to how the transition might go but only a small hint. Bipin still had a good amount of growing up to do before the day came when he would join the other cats outside.

"Hmm, somebody got sprayed," Kimimaro commented as he approached the two teens a few moments later. Gaara blushed and hung his head. The pale-haired man laughed.

"Consider it a right of passage, Gaara," Kimimaro grinned at the redhead. "Not everyone catches a tiger's attention enough to warrant getting sprayed. They must like you."

Gaara just grunted in response, still hanging his head in embarrassment.

"Anyway, Sasuke, I just got a message over the radio," Kimimaro turned to the Uchiha. "Hana said her brother's here with some friends, Lee and Naruto. She was wondering if you would take them out hunting with Deidara and one of the hawks."

Sasuke grimaced but agreed to go on the little excursion, knowing that declining would be rude not only to Kiba but to Deidara too. For as bright and flashy as the falconer could be, the young Uchiha knew that Kiba could get on the blonde's nerves just as much as he did Sasuke's. Someone had to be there to provide some sanity, and most of the time that person was Sasuke.

"They'll have to wait a little while, though," the raven-haired teen commented. "Gaara and I were heading back to the house so he could get a shower."

"Right, I'll let Hana know what's going on then," Kimimaro nodded.

"Tell her she can send them over to the house, and I'll take them over to meet Deidara at the horse barn," Sasuke added before turning to leave the cat compound. "Otherwise, Deidara might decide to try and sic one of the hawks on them."

"Are they really that bad?" Kimimaro called to the retreating teen, his friend and his tiger cub following.

"You have no idea," Sasuke called back without pausing. The pale-haired cat keeper just shook his head before turning back to continue his duties.

* * *

When Sasuke and Gaara arrived back at the house, they found Orochimaru sitting at the dining table filling out paperwork with Dionysus wrapped around his shoulders and torso.

"Oreo, I thought you'd be at the hospital right now," Sasuke commented as he fetched Bipin some food from the second refrigerator.

"Itachi told me to stay home and work on the programs schedule," Orochimaru replied. "Now that classes are back in session, we've been getting more requests to do school programs again."

"Oh," the young Uchiha nodded before giving a wicked smirk. "Hey, Oreo, Kiba's bringing some friends here that Hana wants Deidara and me to take hunting. Would you mind… you know…?"

Orochimaru gave his own evil, little grin before nodding in agreement to Sasuke's request, knowing exactly what the teen wanted.

"Okay, well I'll be back down in a few minutes," Sasuke's smirk turned into a less threatening smile. "Gaara needs to use the shower and borrow some clothes."

"I noticed," Orochimaru's grin widened as the boys headed for the stairway.

"So what was that about?" Gaara questioned once they had reached the second floor.

"You'll find out when the others get here," Sasuke replied mischievously, "but for now, all you need to know is that Kiba finds Oreo to be really creepy."

"Sasuke, that's because he is creepy," Gaara deadpanned before grinning broadly and laughing.

After showing Gaara to the shower and fetching him a clean change of clothes, Sasuke headed back to the kitchen. Orochimaru had gone back to filling out paperwork and jotting notes in different date books and calendars. Bipin was just finishing his meal. When the cub was done eating, Sasuke grabbed his empty bowl and cleaned it before scooping up the young tiger as well. Bipin gave a playful snarl, but the raven-haired teen calmed him before he could become too feisty. Sasuke then sat down at the kitchen table with the cub pulled up against his chest.

"You seem to be doing well with his training," Orochimaru commented without looking up from his work.

"Well, Kimimaro has been training him some during the days when I'm at school," Sasuke replied. "I can't take all the credit for Bipin's good behavior."

"Perhaps, but you do spend more time with him than you realize. I know you've been letting him sleep in your room lately rather than in the rearing pen."

"You're not mad about that?" Sasuke glanced at the snake handler curiously.

"Itachi probably will be when he finds out, but I really don't mind one way or the other. It's just that Bipin may not be able to transition over to living in the cat compound if he gets too use to 'acting human' and house life," Orochimaru smiled. "Your brother and I have always had a bit of a disagreement on this particular topic. Itachi feels that we should have all of our animals available for public view, but I prefer having some that are solely our private animals. He says I'm promoting keeping exotics as pets which goes against our public message. I figure that we're already more than qualified to have exotics as pets, so why not do so?"

"So you want to have a tiger in the house?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

"I just think it would be a little odd for you to work with the big cats all day and then come home to a house cat," the snake handler shrugged. "It would be like a chef cooking top-of-the-line, gourmet meals all day but eating dinner from fast food joints every night."

Sasuke nodded, more in understanding than agreement. The young Uchiha glanced down at Bipin who was lightly dozing in his arms. Although the cub was cute and huggable at the moment, he was going to get bigger, much bigger. Having a full-grown tiger in the house might be enjoyable for awhile, but Sasuke wasn't sure if it would last. Bipin could get into a great deal of trouble when he really felt like it. The raven-haired teen didn't even want to consider how much worse things could be if the young tiger was already full-sized.

As Sasuke continued to contemplate having an adult tiger in the house, Gaara slipped into the kitchen, done with his shower. The redhead sat down beside the Uchiha and automatically reached over to rub Bipin's head when the cub looked up at him with his big, golden eyes. After watching the two for a moment, Sasuke suddenly shifted Bipin to sit in Gaara's lap, allowing the redhead to hold the young tiger for the first time.

"Relax, you already know he's comfortable with you," Sasuke whispered before his friend had a chance to become tense. Gaara smiled tentatively, continuing to rub the cub's ears and run his hand over the black and orange-striped back. After a second of resettling himself, Bipin began to doze in the redhead's arms.

A light knock sounded on the kitchen door before Kiba's familiar head poked inside, soon followed by Lee and Naruto. Sasuke smirked as soon as he noted that Kiba had locked eyes with Orochimaru.

"Good day, Kiba-kun, and what brings you here to the ranch on this fine day?" the snake handler purred out, purposely adding a seductive tone to his voice that Gaara had never heard him use before.

"I, uh,… I just thought that p-per-perhaps it would be nice to spend some time with Sasuke," the scruffy teenager gulped. "With his br-brother in the hos-hospital and all, my friends and I thought m-m-maybe he could use some cheering up?"

Kiba's voice ended on a squeak as he watched the pale man rise from his seat, stroking his black rat snake in a decidedly suggestive way. Lee and Naruto both seemed to shutter in fear and nervousness as they found themselves confronted by the snake handler for the first time.

"Oh? And what about me, Kiba-kun?" Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow and pouted. "Itachi is my boyfriend. Don't you think I could use some cheering up too?"

Kiba immediately turned very pale and began stuttering nonsensical words uncontrollably. Orochimaru raised both eyebrows and glanced over at Sasuke. The young Uchiha gave an evil, little smirk to the older man before both of them broke out in laughter.

"Kiba, you're just too much fun to tease!" Sasuke grinned mischievously as he slipped over to cuddle against Orochimaru for a moment. The snake handler grinned as well as the Inuzuka gave an indignant huff before shaking his head in disbelief.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" Kiba demanded.

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" Sasuke asked, wrapping both arms around Orochimaru affectionately while being mindful of Dionysus. "Oreo is just as much a part of my family as Itachi is. I'm allowed to cuddle with him if I want to."

"But he's a pervert!" Kiba gasped without thinking. Luckily, Orochimaru didn't take offense at the declaration seeing as his typical behavior in the Inuzuka's company pretty much promoted that image.

"Kakashi-sensei is a pervert, reading his porn books in school, and yet you've never commented on that," Sasuke replied as he rested his head against the snake handler's chest. "Oreo's only teasing you, because I asked him to do so, knowing that you think he's creepy."

"Whatever," Kiba huffed again.

"Hey, um… hi, Gaara. What are you doing here?" Naruto spoke nervously upon finally noticing the redhead sitting off to the side of the kitchen table. Kiba and Lee immediately glanced over at the infamous school bully.

Gaara only gave a small shrug, returning most of his attention back to Bipin now that Orochimaru's little show was over. The tiger cub, having perked up at all of the commotion between Kiba and the snake handler, snuggled against the teen's chest once more, tucking his head into the crook of Gaara's arm.

"Sasuke?" Naruto looked to the raven-haired Uchiha for an answer seeing as he wasn't getting one from the redhead.

"I invited Gaara to spend the weekend here," Sasuke replied from his place still wrapped around Orochimaru.

The group of teens watched as Sasuke and Orochimaru traded affections for a few more moments before the Uchiha pulled away and announced that they should head for the horse barn. The snake handler agreed to watch after Bipin while the boys were gone and settled back down at the table to continue working out the programs schedule.

* * *

Sasuke, Deidara, and Kiba taught the other three teenagers how to brush their horses in preparation to be saddled to help make the process go faster. Then the three saddled the animals for the inexperienced boys. Once the six horses were ready, the group led them outside to a training corral so that they could all mount up. Naruto and Gaara both appeared slightly intimidated by the large animals, but Sasuke assured them that the horses he and Deidara had chosen for them were some of the calmest in the stable. Lee on the other hand was excited to try something new and eagerly climbed into the saddle.

"Hey, Sasuke, I'll race you to the mews," Kiba barked out in excitement.

"No," the Uchiha's stony voice replied.

"Aw, come on," the other whined.

"We're going hunting," Sasuke glared at the scruffy teen. "If our horses have the energy after this little expedition, then I'll consider racing you back to the barn after Deidara returns the hawk to its mew."

Kiba huffed again, but grudgingly agreed.

Finally, after Deidara mounted his own horse, the group of six directed their horses towards the mews to fetch a hawk.

* * *

Gaara gave a slight groan as he flopped down on Sasuke's bed early that evening. The hunting expedition had lasted for just over three hours, and having never ridden a horse prior to this day, the redhead was more than a little sore.

"How can you stand to do that on a regular basis?" Gaara asked as Sasuke stretched out beside him.

"My body is use to the saddle, so I don't get sore after riding gentle trails like that," the Uchiha replied. "If Kiba and I had been racing our horses the way he wanted to though, then I'd probably be a little sore."

"Lucky bastard," Gaara sighed as he tried to find a more comfortable position. Sasuke smirked before wrapping his arms around the redhead and resting his head on his friend's chest.

"I can't really disagree with that at the moment," the raven-haired teen smiled with contentment. Gaara ran his fingers through the dark locks, smoothing out the Uchiha's long bangs.

As the two teens fell into silence, Bipin stalked into the room. After looking around for a moment, the tiger cub pounced onto the bed and padded his way to the head. Sasuke noted with a small measure of happiness that Gaara didn't jump at the cub's entrance this time. The Uchiha's happiness was short-lived, however, as Bipin suddenly decided to give a playful swat to the back of his head. Sasuke jerked and spun around immediately.

"Bipin, you are so dead!" the Uchiha announced, flailing wildly as the cub launched forward and knocked him to the bed again. Gaara laughed and backed himself out of the way as the cub and keeper began wrestling playfully. After a few minutes, Sasuke had the young tiger pinned beneath him and beginning to calm down.

"Why is it that every time Gaara and I get comfortable you have to come in and pounce on me?" The raven-haired teen asked rhetorically. Bipin snarled a bit before making a few chuffing sounds, staring up at the Uchiha with his big, golden eyes.

With the cub now calmed, Sasuke gave a sigh and flopped back onto the bed, pulling Bipin against his chest. Gaara also settled back down beside the two so that Bipin was between them. After a few moments, the cub began to doze.

"I'm beginning to think he gets jealous of the attention I give to you," Sasuke yawned lightly.

"Well I don't mind sharing you with a tiger," Gaara draped an arm over the cub and his friend. "As long as he doesn't try to eat me, life will be good."

"Bipin likes you too much to do that," the Uchiha replied sleepily. "Now if I could just teach him how to intimidate Kiba without hurting the idiot…"

Both teens fell asleep a few moments later, Bipin cuddled between them as they dozed lightly.

* * *

The rest of the weekend had passed by in typical, mundane fashion at the ranch. Gaara was still sore from the hunting expedition on Monday morning, but Sasuke promised that as the day progressed, his muscles would loosen up and start to feel better. The two teens rode to school in the Uchiha's SUV, heading for their respective homerooms upon arrival.

Sasuke really wasn't looking forward to classes with Kiba, Naruto, and Lee today. Gaara's presence at his house over the weekend was bound to raise questions that the three boys had been to nervous to ask in the redhead's company.

After the short homeroom period was over, Sasuke slipped through the halls to his English class. The raven was glad to note that Gaara had already taken a seat at the desk behind the one where the Uchiha typically sat. This would eliminate any annoying questions from Kiba and Naruto for at least one period.

"So, did you enjoy your weekend?" Sasuke inquired softly as he settled down at his desk.

"Very much so," Gaara gave a small smile that only the Uchiha could see. The raven grinned in return. The two continued to talk quietly as the other students filed into the room, Kakashi-sensei trailing behind them some minutes after the late bell had sounded.

"Well, students, the papers were once again very well done, so I'll hand them back now before announcing your next assignment," the silver-haired teacher said after calling the class to order.

After giving the students a few minutes to look over any marks and notes he had written on their papers, Kakashi began explaining that the class's next set of assignments would be focused on poetry. The students would have to do research on a famous poet, write a report on him/her, read several of his/her works, and then attempt to write a poem in his/her style. Kakashi gave them a list of poets they could choose from attached to the assignment sheet.

"Be prepared to present your reports to the class next week, and we'll be doing peer critiques of your poetry in two weeks time," Kakashi added near the end of the class period, earning a few groans from around the room.

* * *

Sasuke felt a sigh of relief pass through his lips when Gaara sat down beside him at lunch. Kiba, Naruto, and Lee had once again been eying him from the lunch line across the cafeteria, but as soon as they noted Gaara beside the raven, they stopped glancing his way. Shino was already sitting with Sasuke at their usual table, but the odd teen was as quiet as ever.

"Orochimaru was going back to the hospital today, right?" Gaara asked. "Any word from him yet?"

"Not yet, but he usually calls me during lunch," Sasuke replied. "Give him a few minutes."

Gaara nodded and watched as the younger Uchiha ate. The redhead had already eaten his own food during the study hall he had right before the lunch period. Usually Sasuke would find it unnerving to have someone's full attention on him like this, but for some reason, Gaara's presence didn't freak him out the way it seemed to do for everyone else. The teens remained silent until Kiba, Naruto, and Lee finally joined them at the table.

"Hello, Sasuke, Gaara, Shino," Lee greeted in his typical, joyous mood. "How are you on this fine day?"

Gaara simply gave him a look in reply while Sasuke nodded. Shino gave a shrug that was barely noticeable amongst the thick material of the jacket he always wore. Lee smiled, apparently happy to have gotten any type of non-violent response.

"So, um, Sasuke…," Naruto tried to produce a friendly, little smile but it became more of a grimace, "Orochimaru really is creepy. How can you stand living with the guy?"

"Oreo is not creepy," Sasuke replied, not even sparing the blonde a glance. "He just likes to tease people. He's actually very sweet and thoughtful, and he takes very good care of my brother and me when we need it."

"How can a guy who wears live snakes as if they're fashion accessories not be creepy?" Kiba asked.

"You say that as if you've never carried around one of your puppies everywhere you go," Sasuke retorted. "It's the same thing with Oreo and his snakes."

"It's still creepy," Kiba mumbled.

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and glanced over at Gaara. The redhead just smirked at the Uchiha.

"Once we graduate, I swear I am never leaving the ranch again unless I can be completely surrounded by sane, quiet, reasonable people on all sides for the duration of the trip," the raven whispered.

"Or you could just take Bipin with you to be your bodyguard," Gaara continued to smirk. "It's not like people are going to argue with a guy who's got a tiger at his side."

"It would certainly be interesting trying to do the grocery shopping with him," Sasuke smiled. "I'd never get him away from the meat case."

As the two friends continued to talk between themselves, Sasuke caught Kiba, Naruto, and Lee staring at something behind them.

"What is it?" the Uchiha finally asked. Barely a second after the words had left his mouth, Sasuke felt a pair of hands settle on his shoulders, causing him to glance over his shoulder to see who was daring to touch him.

"Hello, Otouto," Itachi was smiling down at his surprised little brother. Sasuke immediately jumped up from his chair and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck.

"Aniki, I've missed you so much," the younger Uchiha whispered to Itachi.

"I missed you too, Sasuke," the older raven replied softly as he hugged the teen back. Sasuke buried his face against Itachi's shoulder, refusing to let go.

* * *

Sasuke mentally scolded himself for the third time that night. It was close to two o'clock in the morning, and once again he found himself hovering outside of the door to Itachi and Orochimaru's room. For some reason, the teen's restless mind kept prompting him to go and check on his brother. Sasuke knew Itachi was fine, otherwise the hospital would not have released him. Yet the young raven kept leaving the comfort of his bed to peek into his Aniki's room, just to make sure he was still there and breathing.

Finally, growing overly-frustrated with himself, Sasuke grabbed a pillow and blanket from his bed and slipped silently into Itachi and Orochimaru's bedroom. The younger Uchiha settled down on the floor by his brother's side of the bed and began to finally drift off to sleep.

* * *

As the sky began to lighten in the hour just before dawn, Itachi woke up in his own bed for the first time in just over a week. The elder Uchiha could feel the weight of Orochimaru's arm wrapped loosely but possessively around his waist and smiled in contentment. It felt good to be home.

Lying on his back as he quietly took in his familiar surroundings, Itachi noted the sound of breathing coming from his right. Turning onto his side, the elder raven peeked over the edge of his bed to see Sasuke curled up on the floor, shivering slightly in his sleep. Reaching down, Itachi gently roused his little brother. Sleepy, black eyes blinked up at him after a moment, and Itachi had to smile.

"Come here, Otouto," the elder Uchiha whispered, tugging gently on Sasuke's hand. The teenager sat up and slipped into his Aniki's bed, finally settling between Itachi and Orochimaru. Both men wrapped their arms around the younger raven, and the three soon began to doze once again…

No more than fifteen minutes later, Bipin came bounding into the room and pounced onto the bed with a playful snarl.

"I guess it's time to get up then," Itachi yawned.

"Bipin, you are so dead," Sasuke grumbled as the tiger cub settled onto his chest, staring at him with his big, golden eyes.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Welcome home, Itachi."

* * *

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews, comments, suggestions, anything at all is always appreciated - especially when I have writer's block like now. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, because the new semester starts again next week.

Thanks again!

- Stony Knight


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